We regret to announce that we have taken the decision to cancel this year’s West Cork Literary Festival which was due to take place from 10 to 17 July 2020.

We monitored the COVID-19 situation closely and waited to take this decision, and it now seems likely that restrictions on gatherings will remain for the foreseeable future. The safety of artists, audiences, and staff, is the most important priority.

Months of work has gone into creating the 2020 programme. The full list of writers who were due to appear at the 2020 Festival will be published on the West Cork Literary Festival website in the coming days. We understand how disappointing this cancellation will be for audience members and we are looking into ways in which we can present online options including workshops. More details will be released in the coming weeks.

This decision will lead to the loss of essential income for the writers who are at the heart of the festival. A cancellation fee will be paid to all writers who were booked for the 2020 West Cork Literary Festival. We will also continue to promote the work of writers, especially those whose launches are taking place at this time, and we will promote ways that readers can access their work.

The West Cork Literary Festival would like to thank the Arts Council of Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Creative Europe, Cork County Council, supporters, staff, and volunteers, all of whom will work to ensure that the Festival will bring a roster of Irish and International writers to Bantry for a celebration of the written word next year, and into the future. We would also like to thank all of the writers, the venues and everyone else involved for being so understanding.

If you are not already receiving our enews, you can join up to ensure you get future updates. Simply click here, enter your details, select the festivals you would like to hear about and click the Sign Up button. You will be able to unsubscribe at any time through a link in every enews.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Bantry next summer and, with an eye to the future, plans are already underway for the 2021 West Cork Literary Festival which will run from 9 to 16 July 2021.

Those who have already booked workshops will be contacted shortly.